Artists James Knill and Amanda Johnson at their gallery in Boynton Beach.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Lucy Lazarony
Step into the Amanda James Gallery and be prepared to be enveloped in a world of vibrant textiles, breathtaking photos and bright modern art paintings.
And color. Lots and lots of color.
“We love color. We are color enthusiasts,” says artist Amanda Johnson, who shares the gallery with her husband, artist and photographer James Knill.
“We have a casual but luxurious style, modern,” Knill says. “I call it neo-baroque.”
In addition to her large figure paintings and smaller abstract pieces, Johnson paints everything from lampshades to silk scarves to plates, teacups and espresso cups. You can see her creations all around the gallery.
“(There) are other ways to have art,” Johnson says. “It doesn’t just have to hang from your wall.”
She also creates custom fine art fabrics for pillows, curtains and bedding. “And I’m just beginning a small clothing line,” Johnson says.
Knill is a fine art photographer specializing in landscapes and a painter of bright modern paintings, experimenting with color theory and how colors interact with each other.
He does custom work with his oil paintings and enjoys shooting photographs outdoors in Florida. “I love landscape photography as fine art,” Knill says. “I do surfing photography also. That’s a plus. I can be there when the sun comes up.”
Topics of Knill’s fine art photography include “the ocean, the Everglades, Florida scenes, tropical scenes, black and white and in color. All the pretty stuff. I try to capture the beauty of Florida. I kind of want the photography to look like a painting.”
Johnson has a studio in Artists Alley where she creates her art, and Knill paints in his home studio in Boynton Beach.
The Amanda James Gallery, at 412 E. Ocean Ave. in Boynton Beach, is just for show — a colorful showcase for their art and a way to connect with customers, although you might find Johnson painting a plate or Knill editing a photo when you stop by.
The city of Boynton Beach and the locals in the neighborhood have embraced the gallery.
And the couple, who were married last September in Johnson’s hometown of Baltimore, celebrated the first anniversary of the Amanda James Gallery on April 29.
“It’s also a benefit for Wayside House,” Johnson says. “We didn’t want to just have a party.”
Wayside House is an addiction recovery house for women in Delray Beach.
Johnson and Knill also support the Surfrider Foundation with their art.
For the Surfrider Foundation, they collaborated on a new piece, a pillow, which Johnson designed from Knill’s photograph of a super moon over the beach in Ocean Ridge.
A portion of the proceeds of each pillow sold will be given to the Surfrider Foundation.
The hours for the Amanda James Gallery are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; and by appointment.
To make an appointment, call Johnson at (443) 823-5057 or Knill at 674-1927.
For more on the art of Amanda Johnson and James Knill, visit www.AmandaJamesGallery.com.
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